South African Parliament Votes To Ease Abortion Restrictions

Main Category: Abortion
Article Date: 12 Feb 2008 - 8:00 PDT

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The South African Parliament on Thursday unanimously passed a bill that would relax some restrictions on abortion, Reuters reports. The legal changes would provide for 24-hour abortion facilities; eliminate preapproval processes; and allow all nurses rather than just midwives to perform the procedure. The bill now goes to President Thabo Mbeki for his signature. "The amendment bill promotes quality health care," Joyce Masilo, a deputy from the country's majority African National Congress, said to the Parliament.

According to Reuters, religious groups and several political parties criticized the changes, saying the existing law already is too liberal. In South Africa, girls as young as age 12 can obtain abortions during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy and up to 20 weeks' gestation in some cases. Opponents also said the bill should have made abortion counseling mandatory because minors can obtain the procedure without notifying their parents (Roelf, Reuters, 2/7).

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